Clenching & Grinding:
Some prefer to split these concepts into separate behaviors while others group them together.

Grinding or bruxism involves moving the jaw with the teeth held tightly together. This results in substantial visible wear and flattening of the teeth which is usually obvious both to dentist and patient.

Clenching is simply holding the teeth together and tightening the jaw muscles. Clenching generally results in less obvious wear to the teeth but can still result in substantial muscular soreness, pain, and damage to the jaw joint.

 

If you are grinding or clenching your teeth and have sore muscles around your jaw come see us for a consultation so that we can examine the issue and help.